Panera Strawberry Poppyseed Salad: Perfect for Summer

Panera Strawberry Poppyseed Salad at Home

Panera Strawberry Poppyseed Salad is like summer in a bowl. The salad is a delightful mix of crispy greens, fresh strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, mandarin oranges, and grilled chicken.

It’s garnished with toasted pecans and drizzled with a creamy poppyseed dressing.

Whether I pick one up on-the-go from Panera Bread or make a copycat version at home, this salad is the perfect summertime meal.

I just love fresh summer fruit and this flavorful salad is bursting with all the best.

My favorite part is the strawberries with drips of poppyseed dressing.

I don’t know about you, but I simply can’t stop eating strawberries when they’re in season.

Overall, the Panera Strawberry Poppyseed Salad is light, yet filling.

Just like this Panera Fuji Apple Salad recipe, the strawberry poppyseed salad is super easy to make at home.

And when you make it in your own kitchen, you can customize it to your liking.

You can serve it as smaller side salads without chicken on top. You can meal prep it for individual lunches or dinners throughout the week. Or you can make a big bowl and serve it family-style.

Here’s what you need to get started making this copycat salad at home.

Strawberry Poppyseed Salad Ingredients

Making the Panera Strawberry Poppyseed Salad is quick and easy, just the way I want summer salads to be.

Just grab the following ingredients from the grocery, prep and assemble.

• Romaine Lettuce
• Strawerries
• Blueberries
• Pineapple
• Mango (canned)
• Toasted Pecans
• Sliced Chicken Breast

You can prepare all the ingredients ahead of time if you want, and put it together when it’s time to eat.

Romaine Lettuce: A bed of romaine lettuce stands up well to all the fruit in this salad. It’s dark and leafy, yet light and really crisp.

Romain lettuce is also quite nutritious. It’s packed with vitamin C, K and folate and is a good source of beta-carotene.

Feel free to mix in fresh spinach leaves for even more nutrition.

Here’s a trick if your romaine has wilted. Revive it by submerging it in cold water for about 15 minutes. Then pat it dry.

Strawberries & Other Fruit: It’s best to use fresh strawberries, blueberries and pineapple from the produce section or farmer’s market.

This isn’t the place for frozen fruit; it’s just too soggy.

You will also need a can of mandarin oranges. I prefer to get them in unsweetened juice.

Grilled Chicken: White chicken breast meat works best for this light summer salad.

However, when it comes to the chicken, you’ve got options. You can either cook it yourself or take the easier route.

To save time with cooking and clean-up, I get a rotisserie chicken and slice the white meat into strips.

It’s saves a little time on a premium summer day!

Toasted Pecans: Pecans are optional, but I say, “go for it.”

A little garnish really completes the salad and makes for some nice crunchy bites.

Panera Poppyseed Dressing

The poppyseed dressing at Panera is sweet and tangy. It has notes of citrus and onion and perfectly pairs with the chicken and greens, as well as the fruit.

And since it’s a creamy dressing, every forkful of salad is flavored with it.

When making copycat Panera salads at home, I can only steer you into one direction. And that’s to the grocery store where you can buy a bottle of at-home Panera Poppyseed Dressing.

This line-up of dressings tastes just like the ones they serve in the restaurant.

This basically means, your copycat salad tastes exactly like you got it from Panera Bread.

How to Make Panera Strawberry Poppyseed Salad

My favorite way to make the Panera strawberry salad at home is to prep all the ingredients ahead of time.

Then after a busy day all I have to do is assemble it.

Quick Steps to Make Strawberry Poppyseed Salad

1. Toast the pecans and set aside.

Toasting nuts only takes a few minutes in the oven, and really brings out all the nutty flavors.

All you have to do is spread the pecans in an even layer on a tray and put them in a 350 degree F oven for about 5-7 minutes.

If you want, make more than what you need and store them in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. This way they’re ready to go next time you want to put them on a salad.

2. Grill chicken and slice.

Lightly season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and grill in a pan with olive oil.

I cook both sides for 2-3 minutes, then lower the temp and let them cook until they reach an internal temperature of 165 ºF for at least a minute.

Let the meat rest a few minutes on a cutting board, then slice into chicken strips.

3. Prep the fresh fruit.

Wash the fresh strawberries and blueberries and pat dry.

Then slice fresh strawberries into evenly-sized pieces and cut the fresh pineapple into chunks.

Drain the mandarin oranges.

4. Assemble the strawberry poppyseed salad.

The final step is to put the salad together.

If you want to put the dressing on first, then lightly toss the lettuce with the dressing and then divide the greens into four dinner-sized bowls.

Next, top each salad with the strawberries and other fruit, as well as nuts. Lay the sliced chicken on top.

4. Drizzle on the Panera Poppyseed Dressing.

If the salad isn’t already dressed, drizzle on the poppyseed dressing.

When serving salad, I prefer to have the salad dressing on the side. This way everyone can put on as much or as little as preferred.

Additionally, if you’re meal-prepping this salad (or any salad for that matter), don’t top it with the poppyseed dressing until you’re ready to eat it. A soggy salad is just sad.

When is the Strawberry Poppyseed Salad Available?

The Panera Bread Strawberry Poppyseed salad is a seasonal summer salad that returns to the menu every June. The salad is only available for a few months when strawberries are at peak freshness.

The good news if you love strawberry poppyseed salad, you can make it at home anytime you want with this copycat recipe.

Questions About this Salad Recipe

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